


i like me better

by prettyboyrollins



Category: Professional Wrestling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 11:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12131313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyboyrollins/pseuds/prettyboyrollins
Summary: The world had a lot of preconceived notions about Kenny Omega - and almost all of them were wrong. [A snapshot of Kenny's life beyond the cameras.]





	i like me better

**Author's Note:**

> this ship came out of nowhere while talking to a friend and honestly now it's one of my faves. i know it doesn't make a ton of sense but it does at the same time and just... give me a chance to convince you oh my gosh i love them.
> 
> title from lauv's ["i like me better"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7fzkqLozwA) which is a very good song.
> 
> dedicated to ham, first mate of the zomega ship.

The world had a lot of preconceived notions about Kenny Omega.

People expected him to be a jerk. And sure, he played one on TV, but he liked to think that he was a good guy in reality. He was always gracious to fans, always tried to answer fan mail, didn’t kick puppies in the street or steal candy from babies. So he was a decent guy at least, and he felt like he could confidently say he _wasn’t_ a total dick.

And somehow, in recent years, he’d gotten a reputation of being a womanizer. He was still baffled by that – yes, women were brilliant and kind and beautiful and sexy and, quite frankly, deserving of so much more than any man on Earth had to offer, but he’d always leaned towards men. He hadn’t had many relationships since becoming a public figure, and yeah, the relationships themselves were never really public knowledge, but one was the worst kept secret in the world, and the other was still going strong despite all the obstacles they’d been dealing with. And they were both with men. So really, he didn’t get where the womanizing thing came from – just because women loved _him_ didn’t mean he took advantage of that.

People tended to forget that the man in front of the camera was a character, and he tried not to let it piss him off too much – it just meant that he was _really_ good at his job. And he took a lot of pride in that fact, thank you very much.

Sometimes, though, he wished he could be a little more _himself_ all the time.

There were very few people who he could do that with, no pressure at all, a well-earned break from the constant need to be _on_ all the time. That was why he tried to head back to Canada whenever it was possible – Japan was home, yes, but Canada was where he could shed all the layers and just exist as Kenny, no alter ego to worry about. It was his one escape from his crazy life, and he cherished it.

***

Even the best laid plans get screwed over by weather in winter, though. Sometimes the universe fucked him, and he was forced to stay in Japan when all he wanted was to be in Canada with the people he loved.

Those times fucking _sucked._

“I had _plans,”_ he whined to Matt on the phone, desperately looking for a flight to Winnipeg. A blizzard was blowing through, and the next three days were full of cancelled flights. Nothing in, nothing out. He cursed under his breath.

“I know, man. You were gonna visit your better half, right? How’d he take the news?”

Kenny tried to force a laugh, despite feeling horrible inside. “One, I resent the implication that I’m not the better half. Two, Sami… Sami understood. He always does.”

_He understood when I had to cancel my last visit. He understands when I don’t watch his matches because of the time difference. He understood that we couldn’t be together on our five-year anniversary. He always understands, but at some point, he’s gonna stop._

“Dude. I can hear you stressing from here. Relax. You can, like, FaceTime tomorrow. It’s not perfect, but… it makes things suck a lot less.”

If it sucked for Kenny to be missing his boyfriend, it must’ve sucked even more for Matt to be missing his wife and children. That put things in perspective immediately. “I probably sound like a dick whining about missing him while you’re missing Dana and the kids.”

“Nah, I get it. When you love someone, being away hurts. Doesn’t matter if it’s your wife or your boyfriend or a friend. Still shitty.” Matt was always so patient and kind with him, and Kenny really didn’t deserve it.

“Thanks, man.”

“Any time. Stay positive, okay? Play some video games. Nick ‘n’ I’ll text you.”

“Talk to you then, I guess.”

“Play Street Fighter!” was all Matt said before hanging up, leaving Kenny alone with his thoughts.

He sat in his bed for a few minutes, just stewing in his sadness. He knew it wouldn’t help to wallow like this, but he was _frustrated_ and he couldn’t _do_ anything about it.

At least he could try and call Sami – and when he did, he went straight to voicemail. _Great._

“Hello, love,” he said softly. He _hated_ how he sounded – the longing was so apparent in his voice. “I miss you. I know we were supposed to spend this week celebrating our anniversary, and I’m so sorry. I hope we can at least have a… a day on the phone. I miss your voice.” He laughed a little. “Listen to me, Zayn, you’ve made me soft.” Sighing, he tried to find words and failed. That would have to be enough for now. “Anyway. Call me back. Love you, sweetheart.”

Hanging up almost hurt.

He decided then to call the night a wash – it was almost midnight anyway, and he knew that he wouldn’t be doing anything productive after all that. Wallowing in self-pity wasn’t a good look, but he didn’t have many other options; he pulled up an old PWG special that fans had been tweeting at him about and hit play.

He must have fallen asleep, because when he woke up again it was the tag team portion of the show, and the Young Bucks were on his screen. He smiled a little at how young Nick and Matt looked back then, and then the camera shifted to show off – well, show off his entrance, and his tag team partner –

Fuck.

El Generico.

This had been their one and only match as a tag team, and it followed a lengthy feud that resulted in some classic, ridiculous promos that were still floating around on the internet. They’d met a few years before, hitting it off immediately. Sami – who’d been going by El Generico at the time – had such a fluid style of wrestling, and Kenny had been desperate to get in the ring with him. Zayn was eager to please, and within a week of meeting, they’d created a storyline so they could have _plenty_ of matches against each other.

Somewhere in between that, Generico saving him from Kendrick despite the shit he’d put him through, and the tag team match he was watching again, Kenny had fallen in love harder than he’d ever expected to.

It was impossible not to fall for someone like Sami Zayn. He exuded goodness and light wherever he went, whatever he did. His laugh was musical, his smile lit up rooms, and his passion burned so, so bright within him. He wanted to make the world a better place, or at least make an honest effort to – that’s what he’d told Kenny one night after a show, in some diner in some city in the US.

Kenny knew he’d been watching Sami talk about his plans of helping underprivileged people with the softest look on his face, and he could practically hear Kevin Steen teasing him in his head for it.

“If I can do one thing that makes someone’s life better somehow? I wanna do it. Even if it’s hard as hell. That doesn’t matter. It’ll be worth the effort, y’know? I don’t wanna… I’m not about saving puppies from burning buildings or that kind of thing. I just… if there’s a way I can help people, I wanna know what it is and I wanna do whatever it takes.” Sami spoke with such conviction, there was fire in his eyes, and Kenny knew he was fucked.

“You will, man. If anyone here can change the world, it’ll be you.” Kenny smiled at Sami and hoped it was as genuine as he wanted.

That was when Sami leaned in and kissed him, gentle and quick. Kenny wanted to live in the moment forever, and he focused on committing it to memory – which resulted in him not kissing back as thoroughly as he really wanted to.

Sami mistook his focus for hesitation or disinterest, and he pulled away incredibly fast. “Sorry, you just – you listen to me ramble about shit and you never act like it’s a bother or tell me it’s stupid or anything and I just really–”

Kenny cut him off with another kiss, giving this one everything he had, and Sami almost melted in his arms. From that point on, they were an undeniable _thing,_ not inseparable but definitely connected in a much more intimate way than everyone else. Most people behind the scenes knew, but they never really offered the information up freely. They didn’t need to; they were a couple, and that was that.

They weren’t always together, but the distance never really bothered them too much. They called each other from hotel rooms or diners in cities from coast to coast, texting each other when they couldn’t step away to talk on the phone. Aside from Sami’s parents, Kenny was the first person to hear about everything in Sami’s career, including the day he and Kevin signed their WWE contracts.

Kenny wasn’t eager to squish himself into the very narrow mold of the WWE – he’d tried it, and the scripted shit didn’t fly with him. He’d known, though, that this had been Sami’s goal, and the news thrilled him. He’d flown out to join him and Kevin at a bar, an arm around both of them, stealing as many kisses as he could while they still had the time and the chance.

A year later, he signed a contract with New Japan, and the distance between them physically expanded even further.

But they found ways to make it work, just as they always had. “I love you too much to let this fall apart,” Sami had told him the night before he moved to Tokyo, and all Kenny could do was cry and say “I love you, too.”

His reminiscing was interrupted by the bell ringing from his laptop, and he watched his past self hold El Generico close as they celebrated their victory. It made him ache; he would give anything to be able to do that again.

He checked his phone one last time – no missed calls – and closed his laptop with a sigh. It was three in the morning, Sami would call tomorrow, and he needed his sleep. He couldn’t waste his precious week off, especially when he had big matches waiting for him on the other side.

Of course, once he’d gotten settled and comfortable and felt sleep on its way, someone rang his doorbell.

He couldn’t contain the loud, drawn out “fuck.”

Normally, under the circumstances, he would stay in bed. No one at his door at three in the goddamn morning would be worth his time and effort. But he’d had a draining night, and his judgment was already clouded beyond belief; he got up and headed to his front door, pulling his baggy old t-shirt back on.

He was rubbing his eyes as he opened the door, greeting the person with a grumbly “what the fuck do you want” – but when his vision cleared he froze.

Because there, at his door in Japan, was Sami fucking Zayn in the flesh.

He could feel his mouth fall open and stay there as he just _stared_ at Sami, who was smiling hopefully, a big duffel bag at his feet. “Hi, habibi. It’s late and I’m _very_ tired – that was a long flight, fucking hell – and I’d really like to go to bed, but uh, surprise! I’m here!”

All Kenny could manage was to throw himself at him, ignoring the soft “oof” as he squeezed him in the tightest hug of his life. Words escaped him for once; Sami rubbed his back and pressed kisses to his curls. “I missed you so much,” he said softly, and when Kenny pulled back to answer, he just kissed him. “Nice shirt, by the way. Can I come in?”

He’d never felt more disarmed in his life, and he looked down at his shirt – InZayn, written in red and white across the chest – before looking back up and choking out a “hi.” He backed up and beckoned Sami in, because he was still speechless. Sami was _here,_ in _Japan,_ to see him.

“I, uh, I saw my flight to Winnipeg was cancelled a couple days ago, I guess – I don’t really know what day it is, so uh, can’t be sure how long ago that was – and I figured yours would be cancelled too, so I just… rebooked.” Sami was, as always, a flurry of hands as he spoke, but one stopped moving so it could hold Kenny’s. Kenny took that as a sign to lead him to the bedroom while he kept talking. “Japan via Los Angeles. It was an adventure getting here, y’know, You’ll have to help me these next few days, which, by the way, I’m staying for five days. Gotta be back to the midcard on Tuesday, but I’m all yours until then.”

Sami was already getting undressed by the time Kenny had processed everything, and while he was exhausted, he managed a smile as he watched Sami take off his pants and ruffle his hair. “Hey,” he said softly, pressing himself to Sami’s back and kissing his neck. “I love you. I missed you. We need sleep.”

Sami groaned and nodded, laughing a bit as he headed to his side of the bed. “We’ll catch up in the morning.”

Kenny hummed, and as soon as he was curled around Sami under the covers, he was out.

***

The morning found them both exhausted when Kenny’s alarm went off, and Sami covered his head with a pillow while Kenny opted for blankets. Sami let him roll away just enough to turn it off before pulling him back into his arms, kissing his shoulder and wordlessly insisting they stay in bed.

At noon, they were finally ready to get up and face the day.

While Sami showered, Kenny went out to grab them lunch and coffee. He returned with everything they could possibly want to eat, two Vietnamese coffees, and flowers; they were celebrating their anniversary, after all.

He found Sami sitting in front of his TV, Tekken on the screen. He was pressing buttons and, embarrassingly enough, getting his ass kicked by the computer. Kenny stood back and watched for a few minutes before announcing his presence. “Y’know, it works better if you learn how to play.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Sami said fondly, pausing the game and getting up to help him. He blushed at the flowers, which Kenny handed over with a kiss.

“Five years, darling. They’ve been wonderful. I love you.”

Sami kissed him again, a hand against his cheek. “I love you too. You didn’t have to do this, habibi.”

“And you didn’t have to fly all the way here to be with me, but you did. You _also_ deprived me of the chance to receive you at the airport with flowers and a sign, so I’m making up for it now.”

Laughing, Sami nodded. “I see. I _guess_ I can accept it, then.” He tugged at one of Kenny’s curls. “What’d you get us for lunch? Did you bring coffee?” He held up the tray with the to-go cups. “Oh, you’re perfect, you’re an angel, thank you, love.”

“We’re both addicts, I could hardly forget it,” he said with a laugh, watching Sami’s face as he took his first sip of the best coffee Kenny had ever had.

“Holy fucking shit. That’s _good_ coffee.”

“I know. I don’t settle for anything less than the best.” He winked. “You of all people should know that.”

***

By the time they’d finished lunch, Kenny already felt so much looser and more relaxed. He was sitting on the floor in front of Sami, playing through a few levels of Crash Bandicoot while Sami played with his curls, braiding some and combing through others with his fingers. It was the most comfortable and relaxed he’d been since the last time they were together.

Once he finished the level he was on, he leaned his head back fully into Sami’s lap. “Hey, Sami.”

Sami leaned down and kissed him quickly. “Yes?”

“Thanks for coming. Really. This is… this is the best I’ve felt in a long time. Not in a weird, codependent way – obviously. We spend more time apart than we spend together.”

Sami made a face.

“Yeah, I know. Hearing that out loud sucks a lot.” Kenny sighed and pulled Sami down for another kiss. He was going to take advantage of it as much as he could before Sami headed home.

“You were gonna make a point?” Sami only pulled away far enough to speak, and it took all of Kenny’s willpower not to lean up and kiss him even more.

“Right. I just… I don’t have to _be_ anyone around you, baby. I can just relax, be myself. I mean, I can do that with all of my friends, but with you, there’s never any risk of you recording something that needs to be in character. It’s nice, letting all that go for a while. Plus, you just give off this really positive, chill energy. You always have, love, and I don’t know, I guess I just miss it more than I realize when you’re not around.”

Sami pressed his lips to Kenny’s forehead and let them linger there for a moment. Kenny reached up to lace their fingers together. When Sami pulled away, he took the chance and wriggled his way onto the couch next to him. “There, now you won’t have to be hunched over.”

“Fucking hell, thank you. That was _not_ a position I could keep up.” Laughing, Sami shifted so he was nearly in Kenny’s lap. “I’m glad I can help you relax, even though it’s only twice a year. I wish it could be more often.”

“It happens whenever we talk, Sami, I’m telling you. You just make me that much better. Y’know what? I’ll be completely honest with you – I like myself better when I’m around you or talking to you, ‘cause you let me be myself and that makes me a better person. Does that make sense?”

“Kinda, I think. I get it.”

“That doesn’t sound too confident. I’m just saying – you make my life a lot better and a lot easier. I’m glad I have you, both as a friend and as the person I’ve been in love with for ages.” Kenny grinned. “I feel like I should’ve got you chocolates with the flowers. Fuck. I swear, one year, we’ll have a Valentine’s Day together and I’ll get you chocolates _and_ flowers and I’ll sweep you off your feet.”

Sami shook his head. “I don’t expect that. I’ll just take getting to see you. It’s nice to know that I’m improving your life, I’ll admit that.” He scratched his neck a little awkwardly, looking at the TV and avoiding Kenny’s eyes. “A lot of the time I worry – y’know, distance doesn’t do us any favors, and I kinda wonder what’s gonna be the straw that breaks the camel’s back with you. But hearin’ you say this gets rid of that weird anxiety.”

“The first night we kissed you told me you wanted to make the world a better place for a least one person,” Kenny pointed out. “And you’ve done it for hundreds if not thousands of people, but most tangibly? You’ve done it for me. I told you you’d do it.”

“You stupid, sentimental dork, I can’t believe you remembered that.” Sami was shaking his head and turning a very pretty shade of pink. _Victory._

“Hey! It’s only fair. This is our anniversary week after all. I have a right to be sentimental.” He puffed out his chest and Sami shoved him over.

Kenny was still laughing as Sami laid down on top of him. “I love you, you loser. Even when you’re sentimental and cheesy.”

“You better, because there’s a whole lot more where that came from, baby.”

Sami groaned, long and drawn out, and Kenny dissolved into giggles underneath him.

_Yeah,_ he thought, _I like myself way better when I’m with you._

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for giving this crazy ship a chance!
> 
> i took a long time trying to compile a timeline for this fic, which was very difficult considering just how many different promotions sami and kenny were in throughout their careers. shoutout to their wikipedia pages, which i'm now intimately familiar with!
> 
> if you're wanting to see matches and promos i referenced [i was unable to find free versions of the matches, but the promos are all on youtube and they're the best things in the world]:  
> \- [pwg's failure to communicate:](http://www.highspots.com/p/VD_failure_communicate.html) kenny omega & el generico vs. the young bucks  
> \- [battle of los angeles 2009, night two:](http://www.highspots.com/p/VD_pwg_bola_09_night2.html) kenny omega rescued by el generico  
> \- [mastering the english language](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv6qrCoN3GI)  
> \- [this STILL ain't over yet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGqZ4yqkpB8)
> 
> i honestly wanted to work golden lovers into this, but the timeline was already a bitch to work together and any mentions of it just didn't flow - trust me, kenny DID date kota in this universe, that's a very important part of his story and i wanted to include it, but couldn't find the right way.
> 
> please let me know what you thought! this is a huge undertaking for me and i'm extraordinarily proud of it.


End file.
